Tracking system and method

ABSTRACT

A tracking system comprises: a data receiver arranged to: i) receive work data indicative of at least a location of an infestation or other item of interest from a data provider, and ii) receive property data indicative of an address or location from a client device; a module arranged to: i) update an existing record in a database according to the received work data upon determining the record corresponds to the location based on a geographical matching process, ii) create a new record in the database according to the received work data upon determining that no record corresponding to the location exists based on a geographical matching process, and iii) retrieve a record from the database corresponding to the location upon determining the record corresponds to the address based on a geographical matching process; and a data transmitter arranged to transmit the retrieved record to the client device for output.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/694,608 entitled “TRACKING SYSTEM AND METHOD,”filed on Sep. 1, 2017, which is a continuation application of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/936,583 entitled “TRACKING SYSTEM ANDMETHOD,” filed on Nov. 9, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,750,239, which is acontinuation application of International Application No.PCT/AU2014/000518 entitled “TRACKING SYSTEM AND METHOD,” filed on May14, 2014, which claims priority to Australian Patent Application No.2013901697, filed on May 14, 2013, which are herein incorporated byreference in their entirety for all purposes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is generally related to a tracking system andmethod and particularly, although not exclusively, related to a trackingsystem and method for termites and other applications.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Colonies of pests such as termites can infest houses and other buildingsand cause substantial structural and cosmetic damage. Such pests canalso travel in search of a new food source, which means that buildingsare proximal to infested buildings are potentially at risk. It can bedifficult for property owners or other interested parties to knowwhether a property is at risk due to proximal infestations.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first broad aspect the invention provides a tracking systemcomprising:

a data receiver arranged to: i) receive work data indicative of at leasta location of an infestation or other item of interest from a dataprovider, and ii) receive property data indicative of an address orlocation from a client device, a module arranged to: i) update anexisting record in a database according to the received work data upondetermining the record corresponds to the location based on ageographical matching process, ii) create a new record in the databaseaccording to the received work data upon determining that no recordcorresponding to the location exists based on a geographical matchingprocess, and iii) retrieve a record from the database corresponding tothe location upon determining that the record corresponds to the addressbased on a geographical matching process, and a data transmitterarranged to transmit the retrieved record to the client device foroutput to a user.

In an embodiment, the geographical matching process compares a postcodein the record to a postcode in the work data or property data todetermine whether the record corresponds to the work data or propertydata.

In an embodiment, the geographical matching process compares an areabased on the record to an area based on the work data or property datato determine whether the record corresponds to the work data or propertydata.

In an embodiment, the area is defined by a circle centered on thelocation or address and with a predefined radius.

In an embodiment, the data is arranged to be displayed on a screen ofthe client device.

In an embodiment, the tracking system is arranged to displayadvertisements on the screen of the client device.

In an embodiment, the displayed advertisement is an advertisement forthe data provider.

In an embodiment, the displayed advertisement is an advertisementrelated to the location of the data.

In an embodiment, the module is arranged to communicate via the internetwith a smartphone or computer application installed on the clientdevice.

In an embodiment, the module is arranged to communicate via the internetwith a web browser installed on the client device.

In a second broad aspect the invention provides a tracking modulearranged to:

update an existing record in a database according to received work dataindicative of at least the location of an infestation or other item ofinterest upon determining the record corresponds to the location basedon a geographical matching process, create a new record in the databaseaccording to the received work data upon determining that no recordcorresponding to the location exists based on a geographical matchingprocess, and retrieve a record from the database according to receivedproperty data indicative of an address upon determining the recordcorresponds to the address based on a geographical matching process.

In a third broad aspect the invention provides a tracking methodcomprising:

receiving at a module work data indicative of at least the location ofan infestation or other item of interest from a data provider,

modifying records in a database according to the received work data,

receiving at the module property data indicative of an address of aproperty or location from a client device,

retrieving data corresponding to the address from the records, and

transmitting the retrieved data to the client device for output to auser.

In an embodiment, the tracking method comprises determining that datacorresponds to the address if the record relates to a property on thesame street.

In an embodiment, the tracking method comprises determining that datacorresponds to the address if the address falls within a risk area ofthe record.

In an embodiment, the tracking method comprises displaying the data on ascreen of the client device.

In an embodiment, the tracking method comprises displayingadvertisements on the screen of the client device.

In an embodiment, the advertisement is an advertisement for the dataprovider.

In an embodiment, the advertisement is an advertisement related to thelocation of the infestation data.

In an embodiment, the tracking method comprises communicating betweenthe module and a smartphone or computer application installed on theclient device via the internet.

In an embodiment, the tracking method comprises communicating betweenthe module and a web browser installed on the client device via theinternet.

In a fourth broad aspect the invention provides a computer program codewhich when executed implements the method of the third broad aspect.

In a fifth broad aspect the invention provides a computer readablemedium comprising the computer program code of the fourth broad aspect.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the invention may be more clearly ascertained, embodimentswill now be described, by way of example, with reference to theaccompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a tracking system of theinvention;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of a GUI presented to a user of the inventionof FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of the GUI of FIG. 2 after a user has clickedon a link to pest controller information;

FIG. 4 is an illustration of an alternate GUI of the invention of FIG.1; and

FIG. 5 is an illustration of a GUI of an embodiment of the invention ofFIG. 1 presented on a smartphone.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention is generally related to a tracking system and method thatis arranged to record or track the locations of known pest infestations,such as termite colonies, in areas of interest, such as residentialareas. However, the tracking system may have further applications, suchas in tracking the location of instances of asbestos in houses, trackingdisease in livestock, or tracking disease in plants such as crops. Pestinfestations are typically recorded by uploading, modifying or deletingdata in a database. The tracking system may be used by a number ofdifferent types of users, such as: i) primary users who are typicallyhomeowners or occupiers and who are interested in the risk ofinfestation to their property, ii) pest controllers who typicallyprovide infestation data to the system based on work they do, and iii)third party users such as home loan lenders who typically use the systemto make a more informed commercial decision in relation to the propertyor area of interest.

In this specification, embodiments are described in relation torecording and controlling termite infestations, but the invention may beapplied to tracking and controlling any other suitable pest infestation,such as cockroach, weevil, rodent or poisonous spider infestations, orany combination of the same. In some embodiments, the infestationtracking system may be used to record and control plant infestations,such as Echium plantagineum (or Patterson's Curse) weed infestations.

Referring to FIG. 1, a tracking system may be provided on a server 2that is in communication with an associated database 4. The server 2comprises: i) a data receiver arranged to receive data from a user ordata provider, and ii) a data transmitter arranged to transmit data to auser or a client device 8. The server 2 also comprises a module 6arranged to: i) receive inputs, such as data requests from users, new ormodified data from data providers, and raw data from the database 4, ii)process received data requests, new data and raw data, and iii) transmitoutputs, such as infestation or other data, to users. However, themodule 6 may be provided in any suitable manner or as a part of anysuitable computer or machine.

The module 6 is typically implemented using software but alternativelymay be implemented using hardware or a combination of software andhardware, or in any other suitable manner. The module 6 may beimplemented using any suitable computer program code or any suitableprogramming language. The computer program code is typically stored on acomputer readable medium such a hard disk drive (HDD), solid-state drive(SSD) or random access memory (RAM).

A user typically accesses the infestation tracking system through aclient device 8 such as a mobile phone or computer that is arranged tocommunicate with the module 6 over a suitable network 10 such as a localarea network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN), but typically the clientdevice 8 will communicate with the infestation tracking system over theinternet. The server 2 comprising the module 6 and the client device 8may be connected to the network 10 through a wired connection or througha wireless connection.

A user may access or interact with the infestation tracking system usinga mobile application installed on a smartphone 8 a or an applicationinstalled on a desktop computer 8 b or laptop computer 8 c.Alternatively, a user may access or interact with the infestationtracking system by navigating to an associated infestation trackingsystem website on a web browser installed on a smartphone 8 a, desktopcomputer 8 b or laptop computer 8 c. However, a user may access orinteract with the infestation tracking system in any other suitablemanner.

FIG. 2 illustrates a graphical user interface (GUI) of an embodimentthat is provided to a user, such as a primary user, via a smartphone orcomputer. The GUI is arranged to receive property-location data (hereinproperty data) for transmission to the module. Property data may bereceived from the user or input by the user in any suitable manner. Theprimary user may be interested in known termite infestation activity in,around or near a property, for example, that they own because suchinfestations inter alia may: i) effect the value of the property, ii)indicate potential damage to the property caused by such infestations,and iii) indicate proactive pest control may be required in cases wherethere are nearby infestations. The GUI may be implemented on a clientdevice as part of an application, in a web browser or in any othersuitable manner.

In embodiments where the tracking system is used to track the locationof asbestos, the primary user may be interested because the presence ofasbestos may: i) effect the value of the property, and ii) indicate theexposure of residents to potential health risks. In embodiments wherethe infestation tracking system is used in agriculture, such as to trackan infestation or disease in livestock or crops, the primary user may beinterested because the presence of such an infestation or disease may:i) effect the value of the agricultural asset, ii) indicate that somesort of action such as moving livestock or spraying crops may need tooccur, iii) indicate that their agricultural asset is at risk ofinfection.

In an embodiment, the GUI may provide a postcode text box 12 arranged toallow a user to enter or input the postcode of the property of interest.The postcode text box 12 may automatically update itself with the nameof a suburb, locality, district or other suitable geographic subdivisionupon the entry of a valid postcode, and such a name may be extractedfrom a database or procured in any other suitable manner. The GUI mayalso provide a street-name text box 14 arranged to allow a user to enterthe street name of the property of interest. The entered street name maybe checked against a database of street names for validity.

The GUI may also provide a street-type text box 16 arranged to allow auser to enter the street type, such as “road”, “street”, “avenue”,“court”, “crescent”, “lane” and so on. Alternatively, the GUI mayprovide a drop-down list or any other suitable GUI widget or controlelement so that a user can input the street type. The GUI may alsoprovide a number text box 18 arranged to allow a user to enter a numberthat corresponds to or identifies the property of interest, such as ahouse number or street number that is part of a postal or physicaladdress. The number data may or may not include information pertainingto a particular property in a multi-property building such as anapartment building or a block of flats or units. The GUI may alsoprovide a search button 20 that causes the client device to communicateor interact with the module, as will be discussed in more detail below.

The property data for a particular user query may comprise the receivedpostcode, street name, street type and number data; those variables maybe parsed, encoded or processed in any other suitable manner for storageor transmission. However, the property data may comprise any suitabledata that can uniquely identify a property.

In other embodiments, the GUI may be arranged in any suitable mannersuch that a user can uniquely identify and input property data relatedto a property of interest. For example, in an embodiment, the text boxesmay be presented with the number text box 18 at the top of the GUIfollowed by the street-name text box 14, then the street-type text box16 and finally the postcode text box 12. In another embodiment, the usermay be provided with an interactive map that allows for interaction suchas zooming and panning. In this embodiment, the user can input propertydata details relating to the property of interest by zooming and panningon the map and then tapping or clicking on a representation of theproperty, when displayed.

Alternatively or additionally, the location of an infestation may berecorded by using a longitude and latitude, which may be useful, forexample, in agricultural applications, because a large farm may haveonly one address attached to it.

Alternatively or additionally, the client device may use GPS to identifythe location of a property. For example, a user such as a pestcontroller may physically enter a property to undertake an inspectionand use a GPS module of a smartphone to enter his location into the GUI.The GUI may allow for the user to check that the address or location iscorrect before that information is submitted.

The infestation tracking system may check that the received propertydata is valid and return an error message if the property data is foundto be invalid. For example, upon a user inputting property data (forexample, by entering a street address and clicking the search button 20,or by tapping on a property on a displayed map), the client device maytransmit the property data to the module over the network. Uponreceiving the property data, the module may check it against anysuitable database. Such a database may be stored locally (for example,in a memory device associated with the server) or accessed over thenetwork.

The infestation tracking system is arranged to output or displayinfestation data to a user such as a primary user. Upon a user inputtingproperty data, the client device typically transmits the property datato the module over the network. Upon receiving the property data, themodule may decode, unparse, compose, serialise or process the propertydata in any suitable and required manner, which may depend on how theproperty data was processed for transmission, such that it can becompared to the infestation data set, which is typically stored in thedatabase, although it may be stored remotely. The infestation data settypically comprises a plurality of infestation records, each of whichmay be current or historical.

Each infestation record may comprise data pertaining to: i) the addressof the infestation (herein address data), which may include a postcode,street name, street type and street number, ii) details of the pestcontroller that found or recorded the infestation (herein pestcontroller data), which may include a company name, phone number, faxnumber, email address, physical address and website address, iii) avariable that indicates whether pest control measures were undertaken,and iv) the date that the entry was recorded (herein date data). Theremay be multiple infestation records relating to one address, whichtypically indicates that the corresponding property has been surveyed ortreated more than once.

Similar data may be provided in asbestos, agricultural or otherapplications, though it will typically be related to the application inquestion. For example, in an asbestos application, data may pertain towhether work has been done to remove any asbestos.

The infestation tracking system or module is arranged to compare thereceived property data with the stored address data. The infestationtracking system or module is further arranged to retrieve anyinfestation data or records that have address data that matches orcorresponds to the received property data. In particular, the module mayexecute a geographical matching process to determine whether theproperty data corresponds to one or more infestation records. Thegeographical matching process typically comprises comparing one or moreof the postcodes, street names, or risk areas of the infestation recordand the property data. However, the geographical matching process may beexecuted in any similar manner. The risk area may be defined by a circlecentered on the address and having a predefined radius, but the riskarea may be defined in any other suitable manner. The module may parse,encode or process the infestation record in any suitable manner fortransmission across the network to the client device.

The application or website running on the client device is arranged toupdate the GUI displayed to the user, and typically does so uponreceiving an infestation record. In an embodiment, the GUI may beupdated to display: i) notification text 22 that indicates that one ormore infestation records exists for the address of the property inquestion, ii) address text 24 that reproduces the address of theproperty in question, iii) a map 26 centered on and displaying an areaaround the property, with a location marker 28 marking the property, iv)a table 30 that displays for each received infestation record the datedata 32, an indication 34 of whether pest control measures wereundertaken (which depends on the action variable), and an indication ofthe pest controller data 36, which may be the name of the company thatreported the infestation. The GUI may also be controlled to displaynotification text that indicates that no records exist if no infestationrecord is received.

Referring to FIG. 3, the indication of the pest controller data 36 maybe provided as a link which, when clicked on or tapped, causes thedisplay of further information about the pest controller via a pop-upbox 38. Such further information may include the pest controller'scompany name, phone number, fax number, email address, physical addressand website address. Alternatively, further information may be providedin a hover box or tooltip. When the GUI is provided as part of a websiteor computer application, the displayed (i) website and (ii) emailaddress may be provided as clickable links that (i) navigate to the pestcontroller's website and (ii) open an email compose window including thepest controller's email address and an optional subject message or bodymessage or both. A mobile application may have similar functionality inaddition to the feature of calling a pest controller upon a user tappinga tappable phone number link. However, pest controller data may beprovided or displayed to a user in any suitable manner.

Referring to FIG. 4, in an embodiment, the GUI may be controlled tohighlight one or more risk areas 40 on a displayed map 41, where therisk areas 40 indicate the potential for infestation or damage based onknown infestations. The GUI is typically controlled to highlight one ormore risk areas 40 based on the received property data. For example,termites may be known to travel 500 meters from their nest to a foodsource and, as such, properties within 500 meters from a nest may be atrisk. In this embodiment, the GUI is controlled to: i) mark the locationof the nest, for example, with an icon 42, ii) plot a circle 44 based ona radius, such as 500 meters, with a centre point (i.e. the nest or icon42), and iii) transparently shade the area within the circle 44 toindicate the risk area 40. In some embodiments, the GUI does not displaythe nest or an icon 42. In some embodiments, the radius of the circlemay change depending on the pest or species in question andcharacteristics of a known nest or infestation, for example, accordingto a pest controller that has surveyed the site. For example, simplyicons with no circle or radius may be displayed in asbestos applicationsbecause asbestos installations are static and do not travel. However,icons with a circle or radius may be used in agricultural applicationbecause livestock itself or livestock disease or crop disease can move.

In some embodiments, shapes other than circles may be used, such aspolygons or free-form paths. The risk area may be shaded or displayed inany suitable manner. In some embodiments, the received property data maybe in the vicinity of two or more infestations, in which case acorresponding two or more risk areas 40 may be displayed. In suchembodiments, the property indicated by the property data may fall withinan overlapping section of both or all displayed risk areas.

To give a user a better indication of the risk of infestation, the GUImay be controlled to highlight one or more infested streets 46. Infestedstreets 46 are typically streets where: i) all or part of the streetfall within the risk area 40, and ii) there is an infestation record inthe database for at least one house on the street. For example, in FIG.3 Chauvel Street 46 a, Wootton Court 46 b and Risson Street 46 c areidentified as infested streets 46 because they are highlighted withblack borders, which means that they each fully or partially within therisk area 40 and have an infestation record for at least one property.Highlighting infested streets 46 may be undertaken in any suitablemanner.

In an embodiment, the GUI is arranged to allow a user to control how themap 41 is displayed, for example, by zooming in and out of the map andpanning, translating or scrolling the map. Different known infestationsmay be highlighted or displayed in any suitable manner as the userchanges how the map 41 is displayed.

The GUI may comprise several advertising spaces 48 that may be used inany suitable manner. In an embodiment, a first advertising space 48 adisplays an advertisement for the pest controller that most recentlyentered, updated or modified an infestation record within the risk area40. Second 48 b and third 48 c advertising spaces may similarly displayadvertisements for other unique pest controllers that second and thirdmost recently entered, updated or modified an infestation record withinthe risk area 40, respectively. A fourth advertising space 48 d mayprovide a link to information about all of the pest controllers that areregistered or have worked within the risk area 40. A fifth advertisingspace 48 e may allow for the display of any suitable advertisement, suchas advertisements for local businesses, where particular advertisementsmay be displayed based on the received property data or postcode.

The GUI illustrated in FIG. 4 may be provided to a user through a webbrowser installed on a computer or smartphone, a stand-alone applicationinstalled on a computer, or a mobile application installed on asmartphone.

Referring to FIG. 5, the infestation tracking system may be accessed bya user via a smartphone application 50 installed on a smartphone 52. Thesmartphone application 50 may provide a GUI according to any relevantembodiment described herein or in any other suitable manner, and the GUImay be displayed after a user logs into an account upon opening theapplication 50. The smartphone application 50 may be provided to usersfor free, a one-off fee, a recurring fee, or in any other suitablemanner. The smartphone application 50 is typically downloaded from anapplication store for installation on a smartphone 52, but it may beprovided or procured in any suitable manner. The smartphone application50 may be provided to users from the Google Play application store forsmartphones running the Android operating system, the Windows PhoneStore for smartphones running the Windows Phone operating system, theApple App Store for smartphones running the iOS operating system, or anyother suitable application store.

In an embodiment where provided for free, the smartphone application 52is configured to allow a user to perform one search per week, afterwhich searching functionality is disabled for the rest of the week.Alternatively, the smartphone application 52 may be configured to allowa user to perform one search per day, two searches per day, or any othersuitable number of searches over any suitable time period. Thesmartphone application 52 may allow a user to pay for single or multipleadditional searches, for example, through an in-app purchase. Additionalfeatures may also be unlocked in the free version of the smartphoneapplication 52, for example, through in-app purchases. In an embodimentwhere provided for a fee, the smartphone application 52 is configured toallow a user to perform an unlimited amount of searches per day, with norestrictions. Additional features may be provided at the time ofpurchase of the smartphone application 52, or may be provided on thepayment of a further fee, for example, through an in-app purchase.However, the app, features of the app, the number of searches (in totalor over a time period), searchable postcodes, reports, and alarms may becharged for (or not charged for) in any suitable manner.

The infestation tracking system administrator may generate revenuethrough selling smartphone or computer applications, in-app purchases,advertising, subscription or registration fees, or by any other suitablemeans.

In an embodiment, a user can subscribe to an alert system that willnotify the user upon the creation of new infestation data that isrelevant to them. In this embodiment, the user typically creates a useraccount with the infestation tracking system, for example, byregistering a username and password. The user may also provide propertydata related to a property of interest, and contact information so thata notification can be delivered. The infestation tracking system may bearranged to check whether all registered properties of interest are in arisk area or on a street that partially in a risk area upon the creatingof new infestation data (which is typically uploaded by a pestcontroller), and to notify those users whose registered property orproperties of interest are at risk. For example, if a registeredproperty of interest is determined to be in a risk area, a notificationis sent to the corresponding user according to their registered contactinformation. The notification may be delivered via an email, textmessage or in any other suitable manner. The notification may identifythe property of interest in question, a link to the infestation trackingsystem website, details of the pest controller that created theinfestation entry, and details of the infestation itself. Alternatively,the user may be notified by a pop-up box or other notification that isdelivered to their smartphone 50 directly. For example, the infestationtracking system may, upon receiving new data, check for any propertiesthat have alarms set against them within a certain radius (such as 500m) of that data. Such an alarm or alert feature may be free or mayattract a charge, whether by unlocking the feature completely or byallowing a user to alarm a certain number of properties

Primary users may include home buyers who are interested in using theinfestation tracking system to assist in deciding on whether to pay fora pest inspection and to understand risk areas when looking atproperties. Primary users may also include home sellers who areinterested in using the infestation tracking system to assist indeciding on whether to provide a pest inspection report as a part ofmarketing or other material when selling their home. Primary users mayalso include home owners or occupiers who are interested in using theinfestation tracking system to gain knowledge of the risks surroundingtheir property and for general interest reasons.

The infestation tracking system is typically arranged create a dataprovider account, such as a pest controller account, for each registeredpest controller based on received pest controller account information,which may be stored in a database. A pest controller may create a pestcontroller account with the infestation tracking system via a webbrowser, smartphone application or in any other suitable manner. Thepest controller account may comprise one or more of a username,password, company name, physical address, email address, phone number,fax number, and website address. This account information may be used inthe advertisements illustrated in FIG. 4. A pest control company mayhave a plurality of employees of which a sub-account may be created foreach.

The pest controller may be required to pay a daily, weekly, monthly,annual or other suitable subscription or registration fee to theinfestation tracking system administrator or owner in order to haveaccess to the infestation tracking system. The fee may be charged percompany, per employee per company, or in any other suitable manner. Thepest controller may be required to register for one or more particularpostcodes, for example, where they work or where they would like towork, and the registration fee may depend on the number or location ofthe postcodes, or both.

Having access to the infestation tracking system may be advantageous fora pest controller, for example, due to the potential for new workbrought in through the advertisements displayed to users and promotionof their company or business in general. Having access to theinfestation tracking system may also help a pest controller betterunderstand the risk areas and may help them decide where to target workand advertising.

The pest controller may be presented with a GUI different to the user'sGUI illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 5 upon logging in to the infestationtracking system, whether on a computer or smartphone. The pestcontroller GUI is typically arranged to receive information aboutundertaken pest control work for transmission to the module and storagein the database in a suitable manner.

An account-holding pest controller may be engaged to undertake pestcontrol work, such as fumigating or poisoning a termite colony or nest.Upon completion of such work, the pest controller can upload work datawhich may include information, results, a record of the work done or anyother suitable information related to the infestation to the infestationtracking system, which is arranged to receive such information forprocessing and storage. Such work data may include one or more of a timeand date (i.e. date data), the address of the property in question (i.e.address data), a range of street numbers on the street in question thatthe pest controller believes may be at risk, whether any pest wasdetected, what type of pest was detected, the size of the infestation,whether action was taken, what action was taken, and a reference or jobnumber. Note that pest controller data may automatically be appendedbased on the logged in account. In some embodiments, the GUI does notallow a pest controller to enter a specific address where work wasundertaken in order to prevent individual properties being identified.Rather, the GUI may allow a street number range to be entered, such asstreet numbers between two points (for a series of neighbouringproperties) or three points (for an area of neighbouring properties).Information provided by a pest controller may need to be verified shouldthe integrity of the information or work come into question; the pestcontroller may need to provide an artefact or other verifying proof inorder to have the information maintained in the database. For example, apest controller may provide an artefact such as a reference number thatcan be verified against an invoice, inspection paperwork or any othersuitable record. This may assist in verifying the authenticity of arecord that is contended by any suitable user, such as a home owner or acompeting pest controller.

The module is arranged to modify or update the infestation recordsstored in the database upon receiving work data. New infestation data istypically created in the database upon receiving work data comprising anaddress that does not already exist within the infestation records.Alternatively, infestation data may be updated with a new entry uponreceiving work data comprising an address that does already exist withinthe infestation records. Typically a data provider is not able tocontrol the module to delete infestation data from the database.Typically, the geographical matching process is executed to determinewhether submitted work data matches an existing infestation record, orwhether a new infestation record needs to be created.

Other interested parties may enter into an agreement with theinfestation tracking system administrator in order to access informationcollected by the system, which may help them to make commercialdecisions. The other interested party is typically required to pay asuitable subscription or registration fee in order to access theinfestation tracking system. The system administrator may charge aone-off fee for a set number of searches, a one-off or recurring fee forunlimited access, or use any other suitable structure. Third partiessuch as home loan lenders, banks, insurance companies, trades people,property developers and real estate investors may have a commercial orfinancial interest in a particular property or area and, as such,knowledge of risk or potential risk of an infestation may impact orchange their commercial or financial decisions. For example, a home loanlender may be able to use the infestation tracking system to determinewhether a pest inspection should be undertaken approving a home loan,where the property is in a high risk area.

The other interested party may also be able to create an account withthe infestation tracking system upon paying a fee (if necessary). Theother interested party is typically presented with the user GUIillustrated in FIGS. 3 to 5 upon logging in to their account, but anysuitable GUI may be presented. For example, a bank may subscribe to theinfestation tracking system and may access it through their internalcomputer system. This may allow, for example, a loan officer to quicklyassess an address for infestation risk without leaving their own system.Generally, the GUI may be customisable by an infestation tracking systemadministrator and users may be able to negotiate for the use of a customGUI.

Pest control suppliers may also be interested in using the termiteinfestation tracking system to gather information about pest controllerswith whom potential relationships can be formed. Further, pest controlsuppliers may use the advertising space illustrated in FIG. 4 to promotetheir products and developments in technologies and treatments to bothpest controllers and users.

The smartphone application, computer application or website may also bearranged to display general information about infestations to users orthe public. For example, the system may be arranged to display articlesabout signs of infestation, seasonal information, treatments andpreventative measures. A periodically-updating blog may be provided thatprovides users or the public with information on new risks, products,pest controllers, and any other suitable content. Such articles,information or a blog may be provided in a separate GUI accessiblethrough a menu or by clicking a link on a website.

Typically, data that is made available for public viewing (whetherrequiring payment of a fee or not) will not include the full address orcoordinates of particular properties in order to protect the privacy ofproperty owners and other related parties.

It will be understood to persons skilled in the art of the inventionthat many modifications may be made without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention.

In the claims that follow and in the preceding description of theinvention, except where the context requires otherwise due to expresslanguage or necessary implication, the word “comprise” or variationssuch as “comprises” or “comprising” is used in an inclusive sense, i.e.to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude thepresence or addition of further features in various embodiments of theinvention.

It is to be understood that, if any prior art is referred to herein,such reference does not constitute an admission that such prior artforms a part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia orany other country.

What is claimed is:
 1. A tracking system comprising: a data receiverarranged to: i) receive work data indicative of at least a location ofan infestation or other item of interest from a data provider, and ii)receive property data indicative of an address or location from a clientdevice, a module arranged to: i) update an existing record in a databaseaccording to the received work data upon determining the recordcorresponds to the location based on a geographical matching process,ii) create a new record in the database according to the received workdata upon determining that no record corresponding to the locationexists based on a geographical matching process, and iii) retrieve arecord from the database corresponding to the location upon determiningthat the record corresponds to the address based on a geographicalmatching process, and a data transmitter arranged to transmit theretrieved record to the client device for output to a user.
 2. Atracking system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the geographical matchingprocess compares a postcode in the record to a postcode in the work dataor property data to determine whether the record corresponds to the workdata or property data.
 3. A tracking system as claimed in claim 1wherein the geographical matching process compares a street name in therecord to a street name in the work data or property data to determinewhether the record corresponds to the work data or property data.
 4. Atracking system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the geographical matchingprocess compares an area based on the record to an area based on thework data or property data to determine whether the record correspondsto the work data or property data.
 5. A tracking system as claimed inclaim 4 where the area is defined by a circle centered on the locationor address and with a predefined radius.
 6. A tracking system as claimedin claim 1 wherein the data is arranged to be displayed on a screen ofthe client device.
 7. A tracking system as claimed in claim 1 arrangedto display advertisements on the screen of the client device.
 8. Atracking system as claimed in claim 7 wherein the displayedadvertisement is an advertisement for the data provider.
 9. A trackingsystem as claimed in claim 7 wherein the displayed advertisement is anadvertisement related to the location of the data.
 10. A tracking systemas claimed in claim 1 wherein the module is arranged to communicate viathe internet with a smartphone or computer application installed on theclient device.
 11. A tracking system as claimed in claim 1 wherein themodule is arranged to communicate via the internet with a web browserinstalled on the client device.
 12. A tracking system comprising one ormore processors configured to: update an existing record in a databaseaccording to received work data indicative of at least the location ofan infestation or other item of interest upon determining the recordcorresponds to the location based on a geographical matching process,create a new record in the database according to the received work dataupon determining that no record corresponding to the location existsbased on a geographical matching process, and retrieve a record from thedatabase according to received property data indicative of an addressupon determining the record corresponds to the address based on ageographical matching process.
 13. A tracking method comprising:receiving at a module work data indicative of at least the location ofan infestation or other item of interest from a data provider, modifyingrecords in a database according to the received work data, receiving atthe module property data indicative of an address of a property orlocation from a client device, retrieving data corresponding to theaddress from the records, and transmitting the retrieved data to theclient device for output to a user.
 14. A tracking method as claimed inclaim 13 comprising determining that data corresponds to the address ifthe record relates to a property on the same street.
 15. A trackingmethod as claimed in claim 13 wherein determining that data correspondsto the address if the address falls within a risk area of the record.16. A tracking method as claimed in claim 13 comprising displaying thedata on a screen of the client device.
 17. A tracking method as claimedin claim 13 comprising displaying advertisements on the screen of theclient device.
 18. A tracking method as claimed in claim 17 wherein theadvertisement is an advertisement for the data provider.
 19. A trackingmethod as claimed in claim 17 wherein the advertisement is anadvertisement related to the location of the data.
 20. A tracking methodas claimed in claim 13 comprising communicating between the module and asmartphone or computer application installed on the client device viathe internet.